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- 24/25 Season Preview 20 in 20 - Fulham
24/25 Season Preview 20 in 20 - Fulham
2 of 20 - The Cottagers
nick lochner
July 27, 2024
The 2024/25 Season kicks off Friday August 16 when Fulham travel to Man United.
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2023/24 Finish - 13th Place |
Taking the next step. FFC is not one of the “big” clubs but don’t let the size of their stadium Craven Cottage (19,000 capacity) fool you, Fulham is a top 10 PL club in revenue and top 25 in the world. Pretty impressive for a club that has never finished higher than 7th and has no major trophies.
Oscillating. For 5 consecutive years (2017-2022) the Cottagers were promoted to the PL, then relegated, then promoted, then relegated and then promoted. The upcoming season will be FFC’s third consecutive in the PL, finishing 10th in 2023 and 13th in 2024. Can they find a way to challenge for Europe this season? It will be an uphill climb.
Passive. Aggressive. Will Fulham spend the money to acquire high end key pieces and add to a club with a solid foundation and what is looking like a “home run” hire three years ago in manager Marco Silva? That is the question and so far, the answer is no. Fulham have yet to sign one player this summer.
Ambition. FFC has +300 odds to make the top 10 and +550 odds of relegation (meaning a $100 bet would win you those amounts if they happen). Feels like the goal so far for FFC is just to stay in the PL, not push for Europe. They’ve got the gaffer, the keeper and a solid foundation, but now it seems to come down to how much ownership wants to spend, or not.
The Club
Located in Fulham, Central/West London Craven Cottage, 19,000 capacity Rough estimates $220M Annual Revenue (24th worldwide, 10th PL) $95M Player Payroll History on the Pitch
 OwnershipShahid Kahn purchased FFC from Mohamed Al-Fayed (Egyptian, London Businessman) in 2013 for $200M. You may recognize Kahn - owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars - a Pakistani American billionaire (55th richest) businessman and sports “tycoon” who made his initial fortune in the Auto-Parts business (Flex-N-Gate) supplying bumpers to the big automakers in Detroit, then becoming Toyota’s sole supplier for pick-ups. Kahn moved to the US at the age of 16 to attend the University of Illinois. He got a job washing dishes for $1.20/hour and stayed at the YMCA for $2/night.  Jacksonville Jaguars | Sponsorship  Home Kit Biggest Rival - It’s not just 1The West London Derby is the name given to a match when any of the 4 West London teams meet - Fulham, Chelsea, Queen Park Rangers, Brentford. Three of these teams are in the PL this season.
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The Culture
Beautiful setting and location on the River Thames close to the heart of London, FFC is London’s oldest professional football club. Fulham has been described as charming, not something you hear many soccer clubs described as. Most of the focus around London is with the big clubs with 60,000 seat stadiums and international fan bases. FFC is known as a family club, with many 3rd and 4th generation fans.
Fulham is also known for its connections to American players. Clint Dempsey, Kasey Keller, Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride all played at Fulham and the USMNT when few Americans were playing in Europe. Dempsey still holds the record for most EPL Goals by an Amercian, 57. McBride had 40 with the club. Currently American Tim Ream is Vice-Captain and entering his 9th season with the club.
The Hunting LodgeWilliam Craven built a Hunting Lodge, Craven Cottage, in 1780. The lodge was destroyed by fire in 1888, and Fulham FC bought the land in 1894 and converted the property to its home. They took the name Craven Cottage as its grounds and became known as The Cottagers. Supporters You May Recognize
 | SongBa Ba Ba Na Na Na Na, Our Fulham, Craven Cottage is our home, Now we’re packing up our bags and we’re not alone, We’ve travelled far on land and sea, Now we’re gonna take our place in history...So shout it out from the tin roof top, The Lilywhites we’re gonna give it our best shot, CHORUS Standing tall and proud, We’ll hear it from the crowd, One more time out loud……OUR FULHAM x 3  Game Day Pub Guide |
Fan Sites
According to the AI tool COPILOT - here is an image of a stereotypical Fulham fan in front of Craven Cottage, based on description of The Fulham Supporters Trust.
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Official Twitter@FulhamFC High Follows on Twitter @FulhamfcNews (9k) @FulhamFCUSA (3k) @CottagersForum (3k) |
The Team
The Gaffer
 ODDS
| Roster NotesFull Roster click link Projected to finish 13th Americans on the team (as of July 22)
Interested in playing Fantasy Soccer? Here are the basics. Typical teams have a budget of $100M and 15 players - $6.7M per player. No players listed over $7M…..
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